


Nightmare

by starBright0270 (Cyber_God)



Category: Epithet Erased (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Bonding, Bonding over pain, But only a bit, Mayyyyyyybe projecting a bit, Other, Present Self Harm, Self Harm, hurt comfort, past self harm, self hate, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:42:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22822735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyber_God/pseuds/starBright0270
Summary: Giovanni's mask in not as strong as he thinks.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 98





	Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning: Self harm, Blood, Self hate, talk of self harm

Giovanni clenches his teeth as he lifts Molly through the open back window of a shop they were going to steal from. The weight of the small girl put strain on his still sensitive arms. He forced himself to not react, watching Beartrap slip down into the storage room. Once she was out of sight he cursed under his breath and held his sore arms to his chest. Giovanni gave himself only a minute to wallow in his pain before pushing it away. Molly would be unlocking the door soon. He blinked away the few tears that formed in his eyes and stood tall. 

Click. There was Molly. Giovanni turned and flashed her a brilliant smile as she opened the door. “Beartrap! You ready to commit some crime?” He asked in his usual excited tone. The small girl shrugged. Giovanni followed her inside the dark shop. Inside the main room was filled wall to wall with candies. From chocolate to gummies. “Here. Go wild.” Giovanni smiled, passing Molly a handful of bags to fill. The small girl grinned and grabbed the bags before running off.

Giovanni hid a grimace as he leaned against one of the counters. His head was fuzzy and he felt slightly dizzy. Reaching over he unwrapped a chocolate bar and took a bite. He probably just needed to eat something. As he ate, he watched Molly. She was so sweet. Already filling the role as his minion perfectly. Always eager to help. Giovanni let a small grin grace his lips as he took another bite of the sweet. However it didn’t seem to be helping. His head started to spin as he dropped the bar and clenched the counter. No no no no no no. Not now.

“Boss? You ok? You’re kind of pale.” Molly asked with worry, pausing. The tall boy nodded firmly. “Yeah, just a little dizzy from all the sugar in one room.” He joked. “Savory is more my type.” He forced out, watching the room wobble and spin. Molly dropped her bags and rushed forward. “Giovanni!” She shouted, sounding a world away. Then the world went black. 

————

Molly heard the sound of something falling. She turned to see Giovanni clenching the counter like his life depended on it. His face pale and panicked. Worry flared in her chest. “Boss? You ok? You’re kind of pale.” She says, slightly panicked and taking a step forward. The tall boy swayed on his feet, slurring something about sugar before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Molly shouts to him, dropping her bags and rushing to catch him. Or at least break his fall. 

Giovanni’s body shuddered and shivered in her arms for a minute before going limp. Molly felt herself hyperventilating. She desperately pulled out her phone, tears in her eyes. With shaky fingers she called Sylvie, who was off of work by now. The young doctor picked up on the first ring. “Molly-“ he started. The girl didn’t give him a chance to speak. “S-sylvie please. I need your help. Please please. I-i-its Giovanni. He-he-he-he” her voice choked as she struggled to breathe, body shaking in panic. 

The doctor inhaled and spoke gently. “Take a deep breath Molly. Close your eyes and just focus on   
breathing for a moment.” The girl shook as she followed his direction. A minute later she was able to speak again. “We were...breaking into a candy shop. Everything was ok, until he fainted. And he hasn't woken up yet.” She said shakily. There was a moment of pause and the sound of a deep voice. Dr. Beefton. “I’ll be there soon. Is he breathing?” He asked, still in a gentle tone. 

Molly pressed her hand to Giovanni’s lips, his head resting in her lap. She nodded before answering. “Yes. He is breathing.” Molly answered. That fact calmed her. He would be ok. “We are in the candy shop down the street from my shop. The back door is open.” She explained, glancing around the still dark shop. “Thank you Molly. I will be there in just a minute. Make sure he is still breathing. Did he hit his head?” Dr Beefton asked with a huff. Molly inspected his scalp for any blood. “I don't think so? There isn't any blood, but he did fall to the floor. I tried to catch him the best I could.” 

The door in the back swung open and Molly looked up to see the familiar bull doctor. She hung up the phone. “Here, let me see him.” The doctor said softly, keeping his voice low to keep from panicking Molly. The girl nodded, but didn’t move. Dr Beefton kneeled, running his thick fingers over Giovanni’s neck and head, then checked his pulse and sighed. “He seems ok. No injuries. But let’s bring him to my apartment anyway.” That news made Molly fully relax, he was going to be alright. 

The bull doctor carefully lifted Giovanni’s limp form, carrying him easily. Molly got up as well, dusting off her leggings. They left the shop, Molly no longer in a mood for sweets. The walk to Sylvie’s apartment was silent. Thankfully no one was in the streets to ask why a bull was carrying an unconscious man and being followed by a small girl. 

Sylvie’s apartment was small, almost every flat surface covered in papers and books. Molly helped clear off the kitchen table. “I thought you were only a psychiatrist?” She wondered out loud as Dr Beefton set Giovanni on the table carefully, the lanky man barely able to fit. The doctor flashed before vanishing to reveal Sylvie rubbing his eyes. “I am. But it's always good to know first aid for emergency situations.” He explained, hurrying to the couch to put a pillow under Giovanni’s head. Molly nodded knowingly, worry still prominent. 

“Thank you Molly. I think I can handle it from here.” He explained, pausing to look at her. Molly pursed her lips, not wanting to leave Giovanni. “Truly. I will be alright. So will he. You need rest and have class tomorrow.” He explained. Molly sighed, she did have school work to do. And it was already pretty late. “Alright. But please tell me if anything happens.” She requested. Sylvie nodded and gave a soft smile. The small girl gave one last look to the villain before turning on her heal and speeding out of the apartment before she bursted into tears. 

——————

Sylvie watched her go, the door slamming behind her. He really wished she would care this much about someone who was better than Giovanni. But he can't change that she cares for him. The young doctor turned his attention back to said criminal now laying on his table. First he will need to check if there were any injuries. Sylvie carefully unzipped the hoodie Giovanni wore, carefully pulling it off the knocked out boy’s frame. 

His breath caught at what he saw next. All the way up to Giovanni’s shoulders were thick white bandages soaked through with blood. So much blood. Sylvie forced down a gag at the sight. He carefully pulled away the jacket and inspected the bandages, fresh. So was the blood. Hesitantly, he undid the medical tape and carefully unwound Giovanni’s arm. 

Just as he feared. Row upon row of deep cuts. Clean, clearly self inflicted. A few were already scabbed over in various stages of healing, unfortunately most were fresh, gushing blood onto Sylvie’s hands. The young doctor takes off the rest of the bandage. Thankfully the newer cuts were only on Giovanni’s forearm, easier to treat. He rushed to his bathroom for cleaning solution and fresh bandages, along with a ratty old towel to soak up the blood. 

He worked quickly, cleaning and tightly bandaging Giovanni’s arm. Sylvie hoped that the villain wouldn’t need a transfusion, they couldn’t afford to take a wanted criminal to a hospital. The pressure would help with the bleeding and hopefully let them heal. He worked quickly, treating and rebandaging the wounds. A familiar pang of pity deep in his gut made him sigh. Once all Giovanni’s wounds were bandaged, Sylvie checked for any more scars but thankfully found no others. He sighed deeply, and put aside his first aid kit. 

Carefully he dusted the villain’s eyelids with his dust, hoping to keep the other under for a bit longer. He didn’t want Giovanni panicking just yet, and he needed a plan. Sylvie flopped down on his couch and stared at the villain. He couldn’t tell Molly about this. She would absolutely lose it. He cringed at the thought of her face if she saw all the blood. Sylvie forced that train of thought aside. 

He forced himself off the couch and pulled out his head phones, he needed to clear his mind. Selecting his favorite playlist, Sylvie set about cleaning up his apartment and disposing of the old bandages and the now blood soaked towel. He cleaned for what felt like hours, it probably was, given that when he finally collapsed on the couch, the sun was starting to rise. The doctor sighed and fell into a deep sleep. 

Sylvie woke to screaming. He jolted off the couch, eyes wide and alert. Giovanni was sitting up and hyperventilating. Looking around for his jacket. “Nononononononono.” He choked. Finally grey eyes met Sylvie’s and the amount of pain he saw made Sylvie’s heart clench. Giovanni’s body shook as he panicked, struggling to hide his arms and climb off the table, his eyes prickled with tears. 

The young doctor stood and hurried over, easing Giovanni to the ground. The lanky villain burst into tears as he collapsed against Sylvie’s body. His sobs racking his body violently. Sylvie held the other close, gently petting his hair and shushing softly. It was sort of awkward in this position on his kitchen floor, but Silvie didn’t care one bit. He stayed there, holding Giovanni, his shushing turning to gentle humming. It was a tune he had known his whole life, but never where he learned it from. 

They sat like that for a long time, Giovanni’s tears and sobs eventually slowing until he was just panting for breath and limp in Sylvie’s arms. The young doctor kept humming until Giovanni lifted his head. With hair a mess, eyes, nose, and cheeks red and tear stained, Giovanni looked so pitiful. Sylvie let out a soft noise and brushed a lock of Giovanni’s hair out of his face. The villain’s eyes fluttered and he let out a sigh. “Thank you.” He whispered. 

Sylvie gave a gentle smile. “Of course. Do you want to talk about it?” He asked carefully. Giovanni nodded sheepishly. Sylvie stood and led them to the couch. The lanky boy took up most of the space on the small piece of furniture, but Sylvie didn’t mind. He curled up next to Giovanni and rested a hand on the other’s knee, waiting patiently. “You think I'm weak now. You see how useless I am. How could I possibly help others if I can’t even handle myself.” He said meekly. 

The peach haired boy felt a pain of pity in his heart. “No. Goodness Giovanni. No. No one thinks you are weak. And you aren’t useless. You’ve helped so many of your minions, and you actually care about them. You’ve helped all of them so much.” He countered, gently taking Giovanni’s hand in his and intertwining their fingers. The villain looked at their hands perplexed. 

“But….” He started, voice dying off. Sylvie shook his head. “It's ok. I understand what you are thinking, and not just because I’m a psychiatrist.” Sylvie used his free hand to pull up his sleeve. Pale lines covered his arm in a pattern similar to Giovanni’s scars. “I've been where you are. A long time ago yes, but I was still there.” Giovanni’s eyes moved up to find the familiar turquoise. They were warm with kindness that almost made Giovanni cry again. 

“I can help you. I know how overwhelming it can be. But you aren’t alone.” As Sylvie spoke, Giovanni’s fingers ran over the boy’s pale scars, healed over years ago. He sucked in a breath and gave the other a hopeful look. “Really?” The pink haired boy asked. Sylvie nodded. “Really.” They sat in silence for a moment. “Please don’t tell Molly.” Giovanni begged silently. The doctor nodded. “I won’t.” The villain gave him the most pitiful expression that tugged Sylvie’s heart and made it hard to breathe. 

“Pinky promise?” Giovanni asked softly. 

Sylvie smiled gently. “Pinky promise.” And gave Giovanni’s hand a soft squeeze.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [My Arms Hurt.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24224464) by [Dumbassv2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dumbassv2/pseuds/Dumbassv2)




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